The rise and fall of the Fell Dragon
by A-gear-in-the-works
Summary: A war is brewing the land of Yilsee, strange things are happening across the land, and the fate of a chosen few is about to change. This story will follow the story of Fire Emblem Awakening, but I will add my own backstory, this is based solely on Fire Emblem Awakening. Please leave feedback, thanks!
1. The apocalypse ends

A harsh wind coursed through out the battlefield, carrying with it the stench of burning flesh. Crows littered the landscape, reaping the rewards of the bloody battlefield.

The king turned away from the awful sight, disgusted at what his enemy had caused. He turned his gaze skyward, past the towering pillars of Plegia's towers, at the sky itself. His vision was met with a beast that would strike fear into any man.

The Fell Dragon, Grima, towered above the mighty castle, its four feathered wings each stretching as far as the eye could see, its scaled body casting a shadow over the entire battlefield. Its gigantic horns almost formed a diamond, its mouth a gaping abyss, ready to devour any and everything in sight.

The dragon let out a thunderous roar, shaking the very earth itself. The king thrust his sword into the ground, using it to try and stay upright. As the shaking came to a halt, laughter drifted across the battlefield.

The king looked towards the source of the voice, his eyes meeting a sight that made him cringed. Bodies were piled one atop another, some wore the crimson colours of Plegia, others were garbed in the blue of Yilsse. Sitting atop the pile of corpses was the source of the laughter. A giant of a man sat there, short crimson hair held his crown in place, his beard the a darker crimson. His dark robes, drenched in the crimson blood of those below him, covered most of his body, the areas they didn't cover revealed a set of steel armour beneath. In his right hand sat his sword, a blade that was as jagged as its wielder, blood still dripping from the tip.

The Mad King, Gangrel, cackled madly at all the destruction he had wrought. He continued laughing, paying no attention to the figure approaching. He suddenly stopped, the laughter continuing to echo, and looked down at the figure before him, a smile still covering his face, a mad light shining from his crimson eyes.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled, "if it isn't the 'righteous king' himself, Edwin! Enjoying the view?"

Edwin glared daggers at the Mad King, "Gangrel, what reason could have possibly driven you to summom him?" he pointed at the dragon above, still towering over battlefield, "What made you cause all this death and destruction? What was your reason Gangrel?"

"Reason?" Gangrel asked, He then let out another burst of laughter, "I don't need a reason to start a war, any excuse is all I need. It's so boring most of the time, politics are such a waste of time. Why bother with diplomacy, when we can simply slaughter our enemies?"

"You disgust me, Gangrel!" Edwin shouted.

"And what are you going to do, Edwin?" Gangrel mocked, raising his sword towards the dragon above, "As long as I have Grima on my side, nothing can stand in my way!"

Silence settled over the battlefield, the sound of the dragons wing beats the only thing breaking it. Then laughter began to echo, at first barely more than a chuckle, rising in volume until it was a booming laugh.

Edwin was bent over, clutching at his sides from the laughter. He continued to laugh for a few more seconds before finally managing to stop, his gaze returning to Gangrel, the mad king's smile replaced with a scowl.

"Oh, do tell, Edwin, just what you find so amusing?" Gangrel spat, his voice laced with hatred.

Edwin wiped a tear from his eye, a smile still on his face, "Oh, it's nothing so important, just that you've overlooked something."

Gangrel's scowl deepened, "Oh really? Because from where I'm standing it doesn't look like I've overlooked anything, so please enlighten me?"

"Oh, I'll do better than that," He reached behind his back, pulling out a bronze shield almost a meter tall, "I'll show you!"

The shield started to shine, bathing Edwin in a heavenly glow. The light turned harsher, blinding anyone that would be foolhardy enough to look at it. If anyone had looked, they would have seen the form of a person begin to take shape.

The light reached its pinnacle, shining brighter than the light of a thousand suns, and then dying down in an instant.

A new figure stood before Edwin. She stood at least three meters tall, towering over both kings. A dress of pure white flowed down past her knees, barely scraping the ground, a ribbon of light blue trailed behind her, each end wrapped around her wrists. Her olive hair ran past her waist, partially obscuring her face. A blue aura radiated from the woman, it was powerful but gentle, unlike the dark aura pulsing from above.

The woman turned to Edwin, her face devoid of emotion, "What is your desire, O bearer of the emblem?"

Edwin snapped out of his daze. His eyes locked with the woman's. A moment of silence passed, not even the dragons mighty wing beats could break it.

"I wish for Grima to be stopped!" Edwin shouted.

"No!" Gangrel cried out. He thrust his sword forth, lightning shooting forth from the tip of the blade, striking barely a few inches from the woman.

"It shall be done." The woman cupped her hands together, a small ball of light forming in them.

Gangrel swung his sword again, more lightning arcing from the blade, this time directed at the woman. Just as it seemed to reach her, a pair of crossed wings intercepted the attack, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.

The ball of light had been growing the entire time, starting from a small pinprick, and reaching the size of the woman's head. She turned, thrusting the ball at Edwin, just as the Mad King raised his sword for another attack.

Edwin raised his hand's to cover his eyes as the ball of light expanded, sucking him into it. Edwin struggled against the weightless feeling that surrounded him, unable to see outside the light of the orb.

The ball flickered once, before disappearing all together. Edwin's reflexes kicked in, curling into a ball to reduce the damage on impact with the ground, clenching his eyes shut, but instead of a gigantic drop, he almost immediately hit something, he kept his eyes closes, reaching tentatively with his hand downwards, expecting the rough feeling of dirt, instead his fingers were met by a much smoother surface.

Edward's eyes flickered open, unsure of what to expect. Instead of the charred battlefield he had just been on, his eyes were greeted by a much more terrifying sight.

Purple scales spread out in front of him, each at least the size of his fist, spreading for at least a mile in each direction. Past the scales on the left, two gigantic wings, each easily large enough to carry a hundred men, to his right were another set of wings.

Edwin swallowed dryly, realising where the woman had sent him, he was standing on top of the Fell Dragon, the battlefield miles below him.

Edwin snapped out of that train of thought when he saw a figure approaching, a steady walk across the top of the dragon. What is someone doing here? Edwin thought, trying to discern more of the figure.

A cloak of deep purple, almost black, covered the figure's arms and most of their torso, the cowl obscuring their face, a golden trim ran down the edges of the cloak. A sword of bright silver gripped loosely in his right hand, a purple tomb dangling from his belt by a cord.

As the figure drew closer, Edwin could make out more of what they looked like. The figure was around five foot tall, barely tall enough to reach Edwin's shoulders, even with his armour on. Strands of pure white hair managed to escape the hood of the cloak, obscuring the figure's eyes. The persons figure seemed very slender, as though they had almost no muscle beneath that cloak of theirs.

"So, this is their final attempt, one feeble human, against the might of the Fell Dragon?" a voice boomed. Edwin searched for the source of the voice, but the only other person in sight was the robed figure, a smile stretching from ear to ear. "What's wrong, human?" The figure asked, the same as before booming in to his lips.

"You're him, aren't you?" Edwin stuttered, trying to ignore the rising panic in his mind.

"If by him, you mean the all-powerful dragon known as Grima that you happen to be standing on? Then yes, that would be me," Grima let out a short bark of laughter, "I'm surprised your tiny brain was able to figure that much out, human."

Edwin gulped, trying to rid himself of the alarm bells that were ringing in his head, 'this man is dangerous,' they screamed, 'run!' Pushing through it, Edwin levelled his sword, Falchion, at Grima, bringing his shield around to protect his front.

"Do you intend to fight me?" Grima boomed, "You, a single, insignificant human, against me, the dragon of the apocalypse, the end of hundreds of humans? Now how did your tiny mind possibly think that was a good idea?"

Edwin remained silent, focusing solely on the figure in front of him. Without any warning, Edwin rushed forth, covering the few meters that were between them in a second. Bringing Falchion down in an arcing, he aimed to end the fight in one decisive blow. Grima simply flicked his sword, parrying Edwin's sword with about as much effort as he would to swat a fly. Edwin tripped and skidded, the momentum he had built up carrying him, several meters from the grinning maniac.

"Naga damn him," Edwin cursed as he struggled back to his feet, "how am I supposed to kill him if I can't even hit him?" Edwin shook his head, trying to rid himself of the fear coursing through it.

"Come now, little human," Grima taunted, "is that really the best you have? Ah, and here I thought I might have found something that could amuse me for a while, but now I see that one finish you."

Tired of the taunting, Edwin rushed forward again, putting all his speed into the attack. He thrust Falchion forward, hoping the thrust would catch Grima off guard. Instead Grima merely twisted to the left, gliding past the edge of the blade, and rammed the pommel of his sword into Edwin's stomach, forcing blood and spit to fly out of his mouth. Edwin struggled to stay on his feet, managing to stay upright for a few seconds, before slumping to his knees.

How am I supposed to defeat him, Edwin thought, dragging himself back to his feet, I'm just one man, how do I fight him? An idea occurred to him, it was irrational, impossible even, but it was all he had.

A quick glance showed that Grima had walked away, bored of fighting. Edwin mustered every ounce of courage he had left.

"Where are you going, coward?!" Edwin shouted, his voice drowning out even the dragon's mighty wingbeats.

Grima stopped mid-stride, and pivoted to glare at Edwin, a glare so deadly it would kill most men.

"What did you say, scum!?" Grima roared, "You are nothing, you insignificant, pitiful insect, and you dare to call me a coward? Oh, I was going to spare you, but now you shall witness the true might of the Fell Dragon as it obliterates you to nothing more than dust!"

Grima walked towards Edwin, savouring every step. Edwin stood stock still, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. As soon as Grima was barely ten meters away, he flicked Falchion around, gripped the handle with both hands, and plunged the blade into the scales below with all the strength he could spare.

The dragon bellow roared in pain, the wings holding it aloft faltering, leaving the dragon and the two combatonts on top of it to the fate of a gigantic fall.

Grima stumbled back, shocked from the pain of the wound. Edwin ripped Falchion out, tearing several scales in the process, the once shining blade coverfed in the purple ichor of the dragon. Grima clutched his chest, fear alight in his eyes.

Siezing his chance with both hands, Edwin covered the few meters left between them in the blink of an eye, Edwin lunged forward, impaling Grima through the stomach.

Ichor leaked from the wound, the same that already coated the blade. Silence hung in the air, not even the wind around the fighters could break it. Then Grima took a step forth, sliding further down the blade, showing no signs of pain, then another, and another, until eventually he was at the crossguard. His hand shot out like a snake, fingers wrapping around Edwin's neck. Edwin struggled against the vice-like grip, but to no avail.

"I…" Grima coughed, ichor spurting from his mouth, "will never…die!" Edwin was rapidly fading into unconsciousness, his vision fading, the talon like fingers digging into his skin.

Then the pain suddenly stopped, Edwin could feel the fingers loosen their hold, the precious air he sought returning, his vision clearing. Once his vision cleared, he saw the blurred shape in front of him for what it truly was. Grima was disintegrating; his body was being blown away, as if it were nothing more than dust. His legs had already disappeared, his torso was starting to be whisked away, his arms and head would soon follow.

"Know this, human," Grima hissed, his torso and arms already completely gone, his head soon to follow, "I may have fallen on this day, but I will return, for as long as men have darkness within them, they will thirst for the power I possess, and next time you won't be able to stop me!"

Edwin shook his head, "True, I may not be there to stop you, but that doesn't mean there won't be other who will be willing to bear that burden, for while some men are controlled by darkness, there will always be some who will dispel it, those who stand against the dark. They will eb the ones to stop you."

Grima had almost completely blown away, only his eye's remained, the purple orbs glaring in anger at the being before them, "Foolish human," Grima sighed, "you fail to realize that the brighter the light, the darker its shadow is." Edwin opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped as the last trace of Grima blew away, leaving Edwin alone atop the falling corpse of the dragon.

Edwin slumped down, the battle finally taking its toll, unable to fight the urge to rest any longer. The last thing he heard was the soothing voice of a woman, "You have done well, now rest hero king."

A/N Well, this took a lot longer then I thought to finish, it took me around 4 weeks to write this! But I'm proud of it, I believe I have done well with the start of this story, and it can only get better from here. If you haven't realised yet because you haven't played it yet, this is a fan story of Fire Emblem Awakening. The idea was to give a creative narrative to the entire game, and maybe add in a few extra things of my own. I will be sticking with the default name an appearance though, I think Robin would be the best fit for this, and since they announced him/her for smash, then he would be the most recognisable . So, please follow this story if you wish, I intend to put out a chapter at least once a month, maybe more with school holidays on the horizon. Until next time, Wade.


	2. A chance encounter

Rolling hills stretching for miles, luscious green grass covering the landscape. Barely a cloud drifted through the sky, the sun beating down harshly on those below.

The teen looked down from the sky, focusing more on the landscape around him, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. He glanced around at his companions, debating whether to tell them to turn back, when out of the corner of his eye, a flash of black caught his attention.

The teen gestured to his companions, pointing to the figure. The group marched forward. The leader raised his fist, bringing the group to a halt. He walked forward, his group following not far behind him.

He came to a stop at the figures feet, taking in the gigantic cloak they were wearing and a sword strapped to their belt.

Darkness… Nothing but Darkness. He was falling, but to where he couldn't tell. Everywhere he looked, nothing but a black abyss. He twisted, trying to move, but something was stopping him. He looked down. Black, claw-like hands were wrapping around him, dragging him even further down, or was it up? He couldn't tell.

A whispering drifted from the abyss, faint at first, almost inaudible. But it started to rise, turning from a faint whisper, rising rapidly to high pitched screams.

The teen raised his hands to stop the sound, but the claws restricting him tightened in response, almost breaking the bones in his arms. He cried out in pain, unable to stop the pain or the sound surrounding him. The screams grew louder, the claws tightened even more, stretching the boy's body to its limit.

Just as it seemed the boy wouldn't be able to take anymore, it stopped. The screams died down, leaving only the boy's rapid breathing to fill the air. The claws lessened their hold, loosening from a death grip to a firm hold. The teen sighed in relief, making the most of the rest.

"Well boy, you appear to be able to withstand that much," a voice boomed, coming from seemingly everywhere, "you seem to be a worthy vessel, capable of such an honour."

"Who are you?" the teen shouted, unsure of where to look.

"Me?" six pairs of glowing red eyes appeared in front of the teen, "You don't need to know who I am, just that you are worthy of being the vessel." The boy felt a searing pain burning onto the back of his hand, he bit his lip to stop the pain. The burning pain faded, the boy looked down to see a purple mark had appeared on his hand, still pulsing with an unearthly glow, "That mark proves you are a worthy vessel, never tell others what it truly means. Now begone!"

A wave of nausea washed over the teen, his vision to fading rapidly. As he struggled to stay conscious, the voice continued laughing, booming throughout the darkness, as the host fell through the dark.

The teen opened his eye's looking from left to right, two figures standing above him.

One was a girl, her hair splitting into two aburn tails on the sides of her head. A flowing dress of yellow, with a brown corset over the top covered most of her features. Light blue eyes, filled with curiosity stared into the boy's.

His gaze turned to the other figure, a young man this time. Short, navy blue hair covered his head, spiking out slightly at the back. A blue tunic covered his torso and his left arm, strangely his right arm is completely bare, exposing a strange mark on his arm. His left shoulder has a steel pauldron on top of it, a white cape, tattered at the edges, attached to it, covering most of his arm.

"..rom, I think he's awake," the girl exclaimed, focusing her attention back to the boy before her, "hey there."

"Strange place to take a nap," the blue haired man smiles, "here give me your hand."

The young man reached out his hand, the other teen hesitant at first to accept it, before grasping it firmly. The blue haired man lifts him up, as he does he notices a purple brand on his hand, a set of six eyes, connected by two lines that crossed towards the wrist.

"Strange place to have a nap," the young man chuckled, "are you okay?"

The hooded teen hesitated for a second before hesitating, "Yes, thank you Chrom."

Chrom looked a little surprised, "Ah! So you know who we are then?"

The hooded teen hesitated, "I'm not sure, your name just came to me." He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Well can you tell us your name at least then?" Chrom asked.

My name? The teen thought. He was sure he had one, it was right there at the edge of his mind, it was as though it was on a ledge just out of his reach. "I'm sorry, but it appears I can't remember it."

"You mean to tell me that you can remember our lord's name but not your own?" A voice laced with sarcasm interrupted. The boy's eyes were drawn to a figure behind the other two, a towering goliath of a man, easily 6 feet tall, and the massive armour he was wearing only increased the imposing aura he gave off. A short crop of brown hair lay on his head, a passive look gracing his features.

"I'm sorry," the boy apologised, "but I can't seem to remember anything else, besides Chrom's name."

"Ooh, I've heard of this," the girl pipped in, "he has amnesia! It's where a person can't remember who they are."

"It's a load of Pegasus dung, that's what." the knight replied coldly.

"Fredrick!" the girl shouted.

"No," the teen replied, "his response is perfectly reasonable, if I was in his position, I wouldn't trust a person as soon as I met them."

"Well, we can worry about that later, we should introduce ourselves," Chrom stated, "As you already know, I'm Chrom. The delicate one over there is my sister, Lissa."

"I AM NOT DELICATE!" Lissa shouted, blushing furiously, her cheeks turning a rosy pink, Chrom ignored her and continued, "And the one behind us is Fredrick, also known as 'Fredrick the wary'."

"A title a wear with honour, Naga forbid one of us be the least bit cautious. It is my every intention to trust you stranger, but a man of my post is not allowed such privileges."

"That's fine, I would do the exact same in your position, Fredrick. It's very nice to meet you all," the teen bowed, the hood falling even further on his head, "my name is Robin. Ah, that name just came to me."

"Robin?" Chrom said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Is that foreign? Well it doesn't matter if it is or not, at least you know your name, and that's one mystery solved."

Robin nodded, yes, he thought, it might be one small step, but it was a start to discover who he was.

"Good thing the shepherds found you, and not a band of brigands." Lissa smiled.

"Indeed," Chrom agreed, "that would have made for quite the rude awakening."

"Shepherds, you tend to sheep in full armour?" Robin asked.

"I guess you could say that," Chrom replied, a grin gracing his features, "but back to matters at hand, you should probably come with us. You were lucky that we were the first to find you, you may not be so lucky if you fall asleep again, and I doubt you would be able to take on a band of brigands if they caught you sleeping, despite that sword you have."

Sword? Robin thought, he looked around at his feet to find a sword there. He reached down to scoop it up, examining the blade more closely. It wasn't really special in any way, just simple bronze for the blade and a wooden hilt wrapped in leather, but just having it in his hands made him feel more at ease.

"Well, unless there are any further delays, then we should get moving, it will be dark in a few hours, and brigands are known to prey on travellers during the night." Chrom stated, already starting down the hill, towards a dirt road. He stopped halfway down, and turned back to Robin, "And I would advise you come with us, despite how we think of you, we won't be able to let you go with a clear conscious until we verify with the village, so please, don't make us have to use force."

Robin winced, realising he'd been put in a bad situation. He took a second to weigh the options, risk having to fight the three before him, or go with them peacefully? He decided on the second option, after all, why shouldn't he trust them? Robin nodded his head, signalling that he would follow, his hood falling off when he straightened back up, revealing a pair of black eyes and white hair that flowed all around his head, somehow staying out of his eyes.

"That seems to be the best option left available to me, so I guess I'll take it." Robin stated, making his way to Chrom. Chrom smiled at him, glad that he didn't have to force him to come along.

"So, what will happen once we get to this village, will I have to stay as a prisoner?" Robin questioned, they had been walking for several minutes, hills being the only thing they had come across, the path in front of them clear of any obstructions.

"Peace, Robin," Chrom replied soothingly, glancing back at his robed companion, "once we establish that you aren't an enemy of Yilsse, you will be free to do as you wish."

"Yilsse," Robin muttered, the name sounding strange to his tongue, "is that where we are?"

"Someone pay this actor, he plays quite the fool. Why even that confused look on his face seems genuine." Fredrick replied, riding atop his horse.

"Fredrick," Chrom glared at the giant, "there is no need to be rude to Robin." He turned back to Robin, "And to answer your question, yes. The country you are currently in is called Yilsse, with its two sister countries, Pilegia, and Regena Ferox."

Robin opened his mouth, about to ask something else, when a scream interrupted them, "Chrom!' Lissa cried, "Look, the village." The remainder of the group looked to where she was pointing, a plume of smoke rising from what looked like a simple village.

"Damn them," Chrom cursed, "Shepherds, let's go!" He sprinted ahead, Lissa and Fredrick in his wake, leaving Robin alone on the dirt road.

What do I do? Robin thought, I can't really help them, and they said they were capable, but just letting them go doesn't feel right. He glanced down, his eye's lighting on the sword in strapped to his hip. He gripped the hilt tightly, confidence flowing back into him, he raised his head back up, his mind made.

Robin took off with a burst of speed, his cloak billowing out behind him, as he ran towards the village, intent on catching up with the trio.

Robin looked left and right, for any sign of the Shepherds. As soon as he had entered the village he had become lost, stumbling from alley to alley, trying to keep the smoke in his line of sight, but the wind had already spread the smoke all throughout the village, causing Robin to simply travel in circles. Disregarding that idea entirely, he chose the next way of navigation, finding the tallest building and running towards it.

This plan seemed to be working better, as Robin rounded the corner, skidding to a halt at the sight before him. The market place before him had been ransacked, food and other goods tossed out of the way in search for any valuables. A few men were leaning on some of the stalls, laughing and eating whatever they pleased.

Robin looked around, hoping to spot one of the Shepherds. There, a towering figure in silver and blue armour, no doubt of who it could be. Robin ran over, trying to stay low to the ground and stick to the shadows to avoid drawing attention, his cloak blending in perfectly.

Robin reached the group; they were huddled together, Chrom discussing a plan. Robin decided now would be the best time to alert them to his presence; he tapped Chrom on the shoulder, startling the young man. Chrom reacted violently, his sword flashing out of its sheath, and leveled at Robin's throat. Robin stood stock still, not moving an inch in case Chrom take it as a hostile action. Seeing that it was Robin, Chrom lowered his sword, sighing in relief.

"Don't ever do that again, Robin," Chrom sighed, clearly shaken, "or next time I might not be able to stop."

"My apologies Chrom," Robin glanced over towards the brigands, "but for now we have a bigger problem to deal with."

"Indeed," Chrom agreed, "even with you here, those bandits still outnumber us two to one. We'll have to plan this well. Surprise is the main element we have available, and we will need to use it to our full advantage."

"Milord," Fredrick interrupted, "if I may. I don't think Robin should take part in this, while he may seem to have good intentions, I don't trust him enough to believe he won't turn on us during the middle of a fight."

Robin opened his mouth to retort, but Chrom answered first, "That's all well and good, Fredrick," Chrom replied, "but I have faith in Robin. Despite everything you've pointed out, I believe we should give him a chance to prove himself, otherwise we would simply be making false claims. Besides, I'll be with him the whole time, so I'll make sure he turn on us." Chrom clasped Robin's shoulder, making Robin feel a little more relived.

"Fine," Fredrick stoically replied, "if that is what you wish, then I shall protect lady Lissa."

"I don't need protecting!" Lissa shouted, furious that she was being treated as though she couldn't take care of herself.

"Agreed," Chrom replied, ignoring the fit his sister was currently throwing, "Robin and I will take those two swordsman on the right, you take out the caster over to the left, agreed?"

"If that is what you wish, my lord," Fredrick replied, his face not giving away any hint of the thoughts that lay beneath.

"Alright then," Chrom straightened, turning to Robin, "come on then Robin. Let's get going." Chrom ran off in the direction he'd pointed earlier, leaving Robin to catch up. Robin was dazed for a few seconds, before sprinting after the blue haired young man, struggling to remain quiet while still keeping up with him.

The two began to slow, Robin finally catching up to Chrom. They stealthily walked the rest of the way, trying to remain behind the stalls as they worked their way towards the two swordsmen. As the pair drew closer, they could overhear what they were saying.

"…barely worth ransacking the place," one of the bandits complained, "barely any gold, no decent women, and no good food."

"Ready?" Chrom whispered, his sword already in his hand, his body tensed.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Robin gripped his sword with both hands, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping it. Chrom raised his hand holding up 3 fingers, already starting to lower one, Robin swallowed dryly, trying to remain calm. As Chrom's final finger clenched, both of them leapt over the stall they were hiding behind, slashing at the two swordsmen in front of them.

Both of their targets were taken by surprise, unable to react to the sudden attack, Robin swung wildly, aiming to decapitate his opponent, but what he achieved was a much more gruesome sight. Robin's blade floated across the bandits neck, driving a few centimetres deep but not deep enough to immediately kill him. The brigand's hands flew to his neck, attempting to stop the torrent of blood that was spouting from it, but it was no use, the blood seeped through his fingers, seeping down into his shirt. The colour drained from his face, his breathing slowing down. Robin couldn't help but feel sorry for the man, feeling the guilt of having to watch as he slowly died. The man's breathing finally stopped, dropping to his knees, his entire body becoming limp. Robin's hand rushed to his mouth, trying to stop himself from vomiting.

He felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, the comforting touch calming his nerves. Robin slowly turned, his eye's meeting with Chrom's. The comfort in those eyes' helped Robin calm down.

"Was that the first time?" Chrom asked, a little hesitant.

"I…" Robin stuttered, "I think so… it's just… it feels so… wrong…" Robin tried to say more but found he was unable to say anymore.

"It feels like that the first time," Chrom assured, "but know this, they would have done the exact same given the chance. This time we were lucky enough that they didn't put up a fight, next time we may be the ones on the receiving end of the sword."

Robin straightened up, the feeling of nausea having passed, and glanced over to the dead bodies. The flow of blood had finally stopped from the wound in the man's neck; his eye's glazed over, almost as if they were filled with fog. Robin looked away, glancing instead at the other man, this one was not quite as gruesome. A stab wound, around a hand wide, had pierced straight through the chest of his leather armour, directly through the heart. the man would have died immediately, unlike his comrade.

Sick of the sight, Robin looked over to see how Fredrick was faring, and was not surprised to see the towering knight already finished with his opponent. Fredrick was cleaning his lance, using a cloth he had somehow procured to wipe the blood off the blade. Lissa was riding atop the knight's mighty steed, a look similar to what Robin imagined he was wearing. The caster who Fredrick had dealt with, lay slumped on the ground, his robes coated in the dark red of his own blood, his mouth still open, in the midst of casting a spell no doubt.

"Come on," Chrom said, catching Robin's attention, "let's regroup with them." The young man ran off, leaving Robin once again to follow. The robed warrior ran a hand through his pure white hair, trying to take his mind off the acts he had just committed, and sprinted after Chrom.

"Fredrick, Lissa!" Chrom called out, waving his unburdened arm at them, "are you two alright?"

"We're fine my lord," Fredrick replied, passive as ever, "the brigand was no threat, barely taking a minute of our time."

Lissa remained silent, not willing to speak a word. Chrom held out his hand, offering to comfort her, and she grasped it with her own, a little colour flowing back into her face. She must be as new to this as I am, Robin thought, she clearly doesn't have the stomach for battle, then again, I have no right to talk.

"So, now that the odds are a little more in our favour," Chrom announced, catching Robin's attention. "we can stop hiding in the dark like cowards, and face these brigands with honour! Now all that is left is to recapture that church, let's move out!" He began to walk towards a bridge that connected the church, Fredrick following not far behind, and Robin and Lissa reluctantly bringing up the rear.

I can do this, Robin thought, there are just three more left, I'll probably only have to fight one of them, I can handle that. They're bandits, they would kill me without mercy given the chance, so why should I show them any kindness?

Robin was so lost in thought that he almost walked into Fredrick, veering out of the way just in time to see what he had stopped for. Meeting his eyes were final three brigands, each armed with an axe, grins spreading across their faces from ear to ear. Robin felt himself begin to seize up, his muscles becoming tense. He looked to his right, Fredrick completely calm and composed, and right, Chrom holding himself almost as well. He slumped, realizing he would have to fight again, he couldn't leave these two on their own. Strong as they might be, a three on two fight would be near impossible in these circumstances.

Robin tightened his grip on his sword, his knuckles turning white from the force. The bandit in the middle seemed to notice this, nudging his companions and pointing at Robin.

"Oi boys," he shouted, "looks like we've got a greenhorn, and it looks like he's already ready to go home. What's wrong little boy? Too much blood for ya? If ya can't stomach it then you should just run away, turn tail and run like the coward you are!"

The Brigands burst out in laughter, one of them laughing so hard that he almost fell over. Robin simply stood there, not moving an inch. Chrom and Fredrick turned to the newcomer, trying to gauge reaction, but Robin's face was devoid of emotion.

Chrom placed his hand on Robin's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, "We'll take the other two, you take the one in the middle. Is that fine?"

Robin swallowed before giving a single nod. Chrom and Fredrick started to walk forward, Robin reluctantly following, trying to keep himself calm as the trio drew closer to the bandits.

When the trio was within striking range, the bandits ceseaed their laughter, opting instead to put their time to much better use. Leaping forward, the bandit on the left swung his axe at Robin, only to have it intercepted by Fredrick's lance. The clashing pair moved to the right, Fredrick isolating his opponent from his allies. The second bandit lashed out, this one aiming for Chrom. The young swordsman flicked his sword to the right, countering the blow and forcing his opponent to stumble forward.

Robin slashed forward, trying to overcome his nerves as he faced the final brigand. The man brought his axe down, smashing down on the sword and using his axes weight to force it towards the ground. Robin gripped the blade tightly, refusing to let go of his only defence as the bandit tried to disarm him. Using his left leg, Robin kicked the flat of the axe, the force behind it enough to free his sword. With a burst of movement, Robin flicked his sword back up, slashing forward once again, aiming for the bandits stomach.

Before the sword could make it halfway there, the bandit's left hand wrapped around Robin's, bringing the blade to a halt. The bandit smirked, his axe back in his right hand. Robin saw the blow coming, fear invading his mind. Instinct took over as Robin twisted around to the right of his sword, the bandit still clutching it tightly. With a mighty pull, Robin wrenched his sword from the bandits fingers, a look of surprise covering his features. Robin slashed forward, driving the sword through the man's stomach, the sound of steel tearing through flesh filling Robin's ears. Seconds passed as Robin drove the blade further into the man, pain covering the bandit's face. The fight finished, Robin started to draw his sword out, only for it to meet resistance. Robin glanced down to see the bandits right hand clutched around his hand, his fingers holding him in a death grip. Robin struggled against the man's grip, trying to break free, but it was futile

A sudden pain erupted from Robin's shoulder, wrenching his attention to the wound. Robin was just in time to see the final bandit tearing his axe out of Robin's shoulder. His hand automatically went to the wound, attempting to quench the fountain of blood pouring from it

Robin stumbled back, his hand already wet and slimy from all of the blood. The bandit was still grinning, walking forward slowly, drinking in the terror of his prey

Fortune was not with Robin, as he stumbled back, his foot caught on a loose piece of pavement. His leg not expecting the lack of resistance, gave way, the rest of Robin's body soon following. Robin's gaze was the only thing that remained the same, still glued to the man's smile. The bandit was approaching, slowly but surely, his axe still resting in his hands, soon to be drenched in blood

The man raised his hands behind his head, his axe towering over him, waiting to hand down death to its victim. Robin raised his uninjured arm, a half-hearted attempt to stop the axe. The Brigand was still smiling that mad smile, his eye's still locked with Robin's. The axe begin its decent, Robin waiting for his inevitable end. Robin clenched his eyes shut, praying that it would be painless.

As Robin lay there, waiting for the blow, a swift sound could be heard, the clatter of boots on pavement, followed by a sickening squelch. Robin peeked from underneath his eyelids, still expecting the blow to come

Standing in front of him, was Chrom, his back facing to Robin, obscuring the man in front of him. Chrom's arm slashed forward, impaling the man before him, blood coating his sword. A fit of coughs erupted from the man, Chrom not moving his arm at all, still impaling the man. After a few seconds, the coughing stopped, the man's last dying breaths filling the silence. Chrom twisted his hand, ripping his sword from the wound, blood splattering the pavement. Chrom turned, a serious expression covering his face.

"Are you alright, Robin?" Chrom asked, concern evident in his words.

"I'll be fine, I think…" Robin gasped, the reality of what had just happened catching up to him. He has almost died, barely a few steps off the deaths door. Had it not been for Chrom, he wouldn't be here now. "Thank you, Chrom."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you would do the same for me." Chrom smiled, his earlier expression disappearing, Robin couldn't help but smile himself.

The sound of heavy footsteps drew their attention. The pair of teens glanced to towards the source to see Fredrick ambling towards them, his spear and armour covered in even more blood then they were, Lissa following close behind.

"Milord, are you alright?" Fredrick questioned, barely out of breath, Lissa on the other hand, looked ready to faint.

"I'm fine, Fredrick, really. There's no need for you to be so concerned with my safety." Chrom replied, wiping the blood off his sword.

"But Milord-" Fredrick started before Chrom raised his hand to stop him. Fredrick paused for a few seconds before ceasing. Lissa stayed silent, seemingly deep in thought. "Fredrick I was fine, I'm capable of taking care of myself, you don't have to keep worrying over me."

Fredrick sighed in defeat, "If that is what you believe is best milord."

Chrom turned back to Robin, "Are you sure you can't remember anything, you seemed to handle that sword fairly well?"

Robin looked down at his sword, trying to spark a memory, but to no avail. He shook his head in frustration. "I'm not sure, I can't seem to remember anything, but when I was in battle, it just felt right moving it that way.

"Well whatever the case, you certainly aren't defenceless" Chrom smirked, "hopefully in the future you won't need someone to help you."

Robin bowed his head, ashamed of himself, "I'm sorry, Chrom."

"Don't think over it too much," Chrom placed his hand on Robin's shoulder, trying to reassure him, "what's done is done, and we should only focus on looking forward, not staying back in the past."

Robin perked up at this, a smile gracing his features, "Thank you, Chrom.

"Ahem," Fredrick clearing his throat, drawing the pair's attention, "now that we have finished with these bandits, I believe we should see to the safety of the villagers."

"Right." Chrom turned and started walking towards the church, Lissa and Fredrick not far behind, "Are you coming, Robin? Wouldn't want to be left behind again, would you?"

"I guess not," Robin smirked, already following the trio. Strange, he thought, I haven't been with these people for more than an hour, yet something just feels right. I suppose I'll accompany them for the time being.

**A/N Well, this one took a fair while, so I'd better give you readers a couple of updates and so on. 1: I'M REALLY SORRY! To all you people who have been waiting for me to update, I give you my sincerest apologies. There were two things that were stopping me. One of them was life, exams, cons, games, you name it, it delayed me. The second reason is that I wasn't happy with this chapter. I had to redo it at least three times to get it to a standard that I consider decent, and even then I still have doubts about it. 2: I will be updating more frequently! Yay! I have 3 more exams to go until I just have year ten ones, so this and gaming will be me sole focus when I'm not working. 3: And you may have already figured this out, I'm staying from cannon. As you can tell from this chapter, it still follows the basics of the game, but it adds more elements that I feel are required for this type of story. AND finally 4: New stories. While I was writing this story, I came up with a few ideas for other stories that I hvae planned for the future, some might be crossovers, others might be more like this, whatever the case, I hope that you, the readers, will stick with me through thick and thin. Oh, one more thing before I forget, I have yet to decide if I should make this a classic mode or a newcomer mode story. Also, any pairings you may suggest are welcome, I already have one or two planned, but any more would be welcomed with open arms. Thanks for sticking with me! Wade/Areos**

**P.S I don't own Fire Emblem or anything so there, no copyright issues for me.**

**And even now I still find flaws in it, curses!**


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